


Bravery

by IStay77



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/F, Messa - Freeform, Teriah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-03 04:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IStay77/pseuds/IStay77
Summary: Tessa offers herself up as a hostage during a bank robbery. Will her bravery end up getting her killed? (Spoiler: I will never kill Mariah or Tessa in a fic, but I WILL put them through hell, so...)





	1. One

Tessa stared down the barrel of the gun. _God, I hope I know what I’m doing,_ she thought to herself. Faith was crouched behind her trying to hide from the gunman. Tessa, in an attempt to shield her from the bad guys, had gotten in between them when it looked like they were coming for Faith. If they wanted a hostage, she wasn’t going to let it be that little girl.

“I said take me instead,” She repeated. With her hands in the air, Tessa continued. “You don’t want a little girl as a hostage. I’m the better choice.”

“Oh, why is that?” The masked man asked. They were standing in the middle of Genoa City Savings and Loan. Tessa and Mariah had taken Faith there to open up her own savings account with the money she got for Christmas. Mariah had gotten a phone call about work and went outside to take it. That’s when the two gunmen came in.

“Because I won’t scream or make trouble for you. You take me instead and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” Tessa was relieved that Mariah wasn’t in the bank right now. It would be too hard to focus if Mariah were in danger, too. One of the tellers had managed to sound the alarm, so the gunmen barricaded the front doors. No one was getting in.

The taller of the two gunmen, the one who wasn’t pointing a gun at Tessa’s head, approached her. His eyes were a deep blue. It was the only thing about him she could notice since they were both wearing ski masks over their faces.

“You give me one reason,” he said, holding up his gun as he took her by the arm. “And I won’t hesitate. You understand?” Tessa nodded as she was pulled towards the front doors of the bank.

“Tessa!” Faith shouted.

“Tell her to shut up!” The gunman holding Tessa said, gripping her arm harder.

“Faith, it’s okay,” Tessa yelled to her. “Just stay put and quiet, okay? You’re gonna be okay.”

Tessa was dragged to the front door where the second gunman was clearing away the desks they had used to block the entrance. Once they were out of the way, the man holding Tessa put her in front of him, arm around her neck and gun pointed at her head. He slowly opened the door, revealing to them police lights and the awaiting officers, all trained with guns pointed at the bank.

“We’ve got a hostage!” He yelled, pushing Tessa further into view. “Let us walk out of here and she lives!” Tessa squinted as she was forced in front of the police flood lights. Her heart was pounding and she was certain that this was it. She was going to die today.

“Tessa!”

The musician heard Mariah cry out for her, but she couldn’t see anything in the bright lights. She knew Mariah would still be outside and probably scared to death. _I’m so sorry, Mariah,_ she thought to herself. _I’m so sorry we won’t get that future we talked about._

“Let her go before this gets worse for you!” Rey Rosales, the detective in charge at the scene, shouted. His gun was trained on the masked men, but there wasn’t a clear shot with Tessa in the way.

“This is what’s going to happen,” the man holding Tessa shouted. “My partner and I and this lovely young lady are going to get into that van over there,” he nodded towards the getaway vehicle parked half a block away. “As soon as we’re a safe distance, we’ll let her out. She doesn’t have to die today, but that’s up to you.”

“Don’t make this worse for yourselves by adding kidnapping to your list of crimes,” Rey shouted.

“I think I’ve been pretty clear about what happens if you give us any trouble,” the man in charge said, tightening his grip on Tessa and making sure the barrel of the gun was directly against the side of her head. Tessa didn’t struggle or scream. She didn’t try to get away. She was too worried that if she tried anything people would start shooting and Mariah could get hurt.

“Just do what he says,” Tessa shouted, hands gripping the forearm wrapped around her neck from behind. “He’s not bluffing.” Tessa wasn’t even sure if that was the truth, but she needed to get Mariah and Faith out of harm’s way and the best way to do that was to get the bank robbers away from the scene. She was also worried that if she started giving them a hard time they would go back into the bank and take Faith instead.

The two robbers started slowly moving towards the van, dragging Tessa with them and always keeping her between them and the police. She could hear Mariah cry out for her again, but still couldn’t see her.

“Mariah, Faith is okay. I love you!” she shouted. If she was dying today, she at least had to tell Mariah she loved her one more time.

“Shut up!” the man holding her gripped her a little tighter. The pressure on her throat was becoming too much and she started to struggle. Her air flow was being restricted and Tessa was starting to see spots in her vision. As they approached the van, the second gunman went around to the driver’s seat and got in. The man dragging Tessa, who now had his gun trained at the police, opened the side door of the van. He got in and dragged Tessa with him before sliding the door shut.

**********

Mariah was frantic. She had been outside on her phone talking to someone from the studio about tomorrow’s show when several police cars pulled up, lights flashing and sirens blaring. She immediately saw Detective Rosales step out of one of the unmarked cars.

“Detective Rosales, what’s going on?” she asked him, panic settling in as she observed the other officers drawing their weapons and facing the front doors of the bank.

“Mariah,” Ray said. “How long have you been here?”

“I was just taking a call. Tessa and Faith are inside. What’s going on, Rey?!”

“Silent alarm was tripped,” he nodded towards the bank building. “Did you see anything suspicious?”

“No,” she wracked her brain. “No, we were in line and I got a call. I need to get in there!” Mariah made a move towards the front doors of the bank when Rey grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

That had been almost an hour ago. Now she was standing off to the side waiting for something, anything to happen. She had called Sharon to tell her Faith was in the bank. She hadn’t wanted to make her mom panic, but she also wasn’t going to keep her in the dark about what was going on.

“The door’s opening!” one of the police officers yelled. Mariah looked up at the commotion and saw Tessa being led out of the bank by two masked men, one with his arm around her neck and pointing a gun to her head.

“Tessa!” she shouted, heart dropping at seeing her love in harm’s way. Tessa was squinting under the barrage of police lights. She didn’t look hurt, but the man holding her wasn’t exactly being gentle.

Mariah watched helplessly as the men exchanged words with police. They were going to take Tessa with them. Mariah could feel fear squeezing at her heart as she watched them drag Tessa to the van.

“Tessa!” she cried out again. This time Tessa yelled back. Faith is okay and she loves her. _Oh God, Tessa I love you, too. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. Please God, keep her safe._

The getaway van took off as police scrambled to get into their cruisers and follow. Rey and a few others stayed back to interview the rest of the hostages in the bank, who were now all filing out onto the sidewalk, anxious to get out and go home.

“Mariah!” Faith called out, running to her big sister, who knelt down to catch the girl in a tight hug.

“Oh my God, Faith,” Mariah said, closing her eyes as she squeezed her. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” she said, pulling back to look at the girl, who was shaking her head no.

“Tessa saved me,” she said.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Mariah asked, taking Faith’s hands in hers.

“The man in the mask was going to take me, but Tessa made them take her instead.” Faith cried, tears streaking down her cheeks. Mariah reached up to wipe some of them away.

“Tessa is very brave,” Rey said as he approached them. “And we’re going to do everything we can to get her back here safely.”

“What exactly is it that you’re doing?” Mariah stood up. “Because you’re just standing here doing nothing as far as I can tell.”

“We have several cars following them. They’re not getting away.”

“They said they’d kill Tessa if you didn’t let them go. What’s to stop them from doing that once they realize they’re being followed?” Mariah was furious, scared, and freaking out.

“Mariah! Faith!” Sharon shouted having just arrived at the scene. Rey stepped away so the three could be reunited.

“Oh thank God you’re alright!” she said, hugging them both.

“Mom, Tessa saved me,” Faith told her as she held onto her mother. Mariah pulled back from the hug and took a step back, eyes filling with tears.

“They took her,” Mariah said, voice choking. “They took her as a hostage.”

“They wanted to take me, but Tessa wouldn’t let them.” Faith was still pressed tight into Sharon, her arms wrapped around her middle. Sharon looked up at Mariah while holding Faith close.

“It’s true,” Mariah said, face setting and voice suddenly sounding cold. “Evil Tessa saved your daughter’s life with no regard for her own safety.”

“Mariah…” Sharon began, only to be interrupted.

“Take Faith home. She must be exhausted.” The redhead told her.

“Mariah, I’m sure the police are doing everything they can to find her.”

“Don’t pretend to care,” Mariah was taking out her fear and aggression on Sharon and she knew it. But, it still didn’t seem completely unfair considering all of the bad things Sharon has said about Tessa in the past. “Just…just get Faith out of here, okay?”

“ _Detective Rosales, come in.”_

A voice came over Rey’s radio. He was standing close enough to the trio that they all heard it. Mariah looked over at him, eyes crinkling with worry. It had to be about Tessa.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Rey responded into the radio.

“ _We lost the van. Backtracking now to see if we can pinpoint where they went.”_

“Dammit!” Rey said before clicking the radio on again. “Fine, keep me posted.”

Mariah could feel the world closing in on her. They lost the van. They lost Tessa! Where was she and what were those men doing to her? Her brain was spinning thinking of all of the horrible things that Tessa could be experiencing right now.

“Rey, what will they do with Tessa if they think they’ve gotten away?” Mariah asked, desperation in her voice.

“They said they would let her go. There’s no reason to think they won’t.” Rey responded, although not very convincingly.

Mariah put her hands on her head, exasperated and beyond worried. “So, what, we just stand here and do nothing? Tessa could be hurt or…” her voice cracked then and she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold in a sob.

“We don’t know anything yet,” Rey said, trying to calm her. As he spoke, his radio came to life again.

“ _Rosales, we found her. We’re gonna need an ambulance.”_

 

 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa is found, but she's in bad shape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my work and for sharing my work with others. The responses have been amazing! Could you do me one solid favor, though? I would really appreciate it if the Teriah hashtag is not used when sharing my fics on Twitter. Thank you for understanding!

 

Mariah had been at the hospital for about 45 minutes and was unable to get any information on Tessa’s condition.

“They just brought her in. We need to assess her first. Are you family?” the ER nurse had said to her. She didn’t know what to say, so Mariah simply answered yes and hoped they wouldn’t question her any further.

“Mariah,” Rey called out, having just arrived. “I think we have a clearer picture of what happened now.”

“What happened?” Mariah asked, just as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing Kyle and Lola. Mariah had messaged them while she was waiting. She didn’t know what else to do.

“Officers found Miss Porter in a ditch off the highway,” Rey was now addressing the group. “Based on the observed injuries, it looks like they threw her from the van while it was moving.”

“Oh my God,” Lola said, squeezing Kyle’s hand for comfort.

Mariah tried to hold back tears as she pictured those assholes tossing Tessa out of a moving van like she was garbage.

“What are you doing to find them?” Kyle asked. He was watching Mariah and thought she looked a little unsteady.

“We have a general description, a BOLO out on the van, and the teller from the bank says he managed to get some dye packs in with the money. We’ll get them.” Rey replied, looking over at Mariah. “Mariah, are you okay?”

The redhead’s face had turned pale and her breaths were coming quick. Kyle was at her side just as she began to collapse. He caught her and walked her over to a waiting room chair. Mariah continued to struggle to breathe and her chest was getting tight. She wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to get things under control.

“Okay,” Kyle said softly, taking a seat in the chair next to her, his hand rubbing her back. “You’re having a panic attack. You just need to focus on breathing. Push everything else out of your mind and concentrate on each breath.” Rey and Lola looked on, concern all over their faces. Mariah gulped air down as she tried to get ahold of herself. Her hands moved to grip the arm rest of the chair, knuckles turning white. _Tessa. Her Tessa._ Dear God, what was she going to do if Tessa didn’t make it? Squeezing her eyes shut, Mariah concentrated on the feeling of Kyle’s hand on her back and the air moving in and out of her lungs.

Eyes still squeezed shut, Mariah tried to focus on each breath as thoughts of Tessa bombarded her. She could clearly picture the other woman’s face, the way her eyes light up when she smiles, especially if that smile is directed at Mariah. The redhead thought of Tessa’s hands, the softness of her skin, the callouses on her fingers from playing guitar. She could practically feel Tessa’s touch even though she was nowhere near her. _God, Tessa please be okay. Don’t take her from me._

Mariah’s breathing was calming down as the panic attack was passing. The pain, fear, and worry were all still there, but she was able to take in full, deep breaths. Kyle continued to rub her back.

“Mariah?”

The redhead looked up to see her mother standing there, concern on her face. Mariah instantly felt the calmness fade as anger and fear won out. She stood, tears falling down her face, fists balled in anger.

“No,” She said to Sharon. “You do not get to be here!”

“Mariah, I’m just concerned,” Sharon started to explain.

“Concerned?” Mariah was indignant. “You’re not concerned about Tessa! You don’t even LIKE her!”

“Hey, Mariah…” Rey tried to jump in to defend Sharon, but Mariah was having none of it.

“No,” she said again. “Sharon doesn’t get to be here. She wants Tessa out of my life, don’t you? I mean, you said you were going to try to coexist, but I know that you’re secretly hoping she dies.”

“Of course I don’t want her to die,” Sharon tried defending herself. “Mariah, she saved Faith’s life today. I owe her everything.”

Mariah thought of Faith and how scared she was. Tessa put herself in harm’s way to save her little sister. She can’t fault that. Mariah would have done the same thing. She was so grateful to Tessa for that. But, she was also scared to death that the act of sacrifice would be Tessa’s last. The conflicting emotions were battling it out in Mariah’s head.

“Just stay away from Tessa AND me,” she finally said to Sharon. Sharon opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted as a doctor entered the waiting room.

“Are you Tessa Porter’s family?” the doctor said as she looked at the group.

“Yes, yes, how is she?” Mariah asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“We are treating Miss Porter for multiple injuries, including several broken ribs and a punctured lung,” as the doctor spoke, Mariah could feel the room start to spin again. “We’ve put in a chest tube and stabilized her. She also has what could be a severe head injury. We haven’t seen any signs of bleeding on the brain, but there is some swelling. Unfortunately, she hasn’t yet regained consciousness, so we won’t know if there’s any lasting damage until she does.”

“When will that be?” Rey asked.

“We just don’t know. It could be a matter of hours or days.” The doctor responded.

“But, she will wake up, right?” Lola asked.

“With injuries like this, it’s wait and see. But, she’s young and her vitals are strong. I’m optimistic.”

Kyle noticed Mariah was getting a little unsteady again. Fearing there was another panic attack coming, he gently took her arm and immediately felt Mariah lean her weight into him.

“Can I see her?” Mariah asked, her voice broken.

“Of course,” the doctor said. “She’s in room 610. Try to keep it to one or two visitors at a time.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Kyle said as she walked away. “I can go with you,” he said to Mariah, still holding onto her arm. She shook her head.

“No, I’m okay,” Mariah insisted, removing her arm from his grasp. As soon as she did, she felt herself lose her balance. Kyle was there immediately, holding onto her arm again. “Maybe just walk me to her room?”

“Of course,” Kyle said as they left the waiting room, leaving Rey, Sharon, and Lola behind.

 

**********

 

Mariah let Kyle walk her to Tessa’s hospital room. When they got there, he stayed outside while she went in. The second Mariah laid eyes on her love she had to choke back tears. Tessa usually looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, but all the redhead could focus on were the various cuts and bruises littering Tessa’s face, arms, and hands. She had a bandage on her forehead just above her right eye and scrapes on her cheeks and chin. Her arms were covered in road rash and her knuckles were all cut up. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room.

Walking over to the side of the bed, Mariah leaned down and gently kissed Tessa just above the bandage on her forehead before pulling a nearby chair over to sit in. She gently took Tessa’s hand in her own.

“Hi baby,” Mariah said to her. “I’m here.” Looking down at the broken skin on Tessa’s knuckles, Mariah resisted the urge to hold her hand tighter.

“You saved Faith’s life today,” Mariah continued, looking down at the unconscious woman. “I can’t thank you enough for that,” she choked on the last few words, trying to hold back sobs. “But now you have to save yourself.” She leaned in closer, eyes scanning Tessa for any signs that she might be waking up. “You have to come back to me, Tessa. Please fight to come back to me.”

Tears fell freely from Mariah’s eyes and she gave up trying to stop them. Her whole body shook with sobs. She dropped her head to rest it against their joined hands as she cried. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

Mariah let herself feel the pain. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. Tessa is her greatest love, her biggest joy, the one thing that makes her feel alive when nothing else does. She can’t lose her now. They were just getting things back on track. If only she hadn’t taken that call outside, Mariah could have gone in her place. Tessa should not be in this hospital bed right now. She should be at home. They should be at home together, making dinner, cuddling on the couch, making love. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to be.

Lifting her head so her chin rested on their joined hands, Mariah studied Tessa through blurry eyes. She would do anything for this woman. Anything. Their recent fight and rift feels like it was ages ago. For the time being, Mariah can only remember loving Tessa.

“You know I don’t believe in fairy tales or that some mystical being is up there controlling our fate,” Mariah said softly through her tears. “But, if anyone could make me believe in fate, Tessa it would be you. You came out of nowhere and, against all odds, we found love. And it feels…” Mariah paused, putting one hand on her chest over her heart, her lower lip quivering. “It feels like fate because I don’t think I’m supposed to be with anyone else. You’ve made me a believer. So, you have to be okay. Okay? Because I need something to believe in. I need you.” Kissing Tessa’s hand again, Mariah let it go and wiped the tears from her face. She maneuvered the chair so it was pushed up against the bed. Once she was settled, Mariah took Tessa’s hand again.

“I’m going to be here when you wake up, Tessa. I’m going to be here no matter what happens after that, too.” Kissing her hand again, Mariah sat back in the chair and waited.

 

 

 


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mariah continues to hold vigil and Tessa finally wakes up.

 

Mariah woke with a start, forgetting where she was and why she was there. It was no longer just her and Tessa in the hospital room. Lola was sitting in a chair on the other side of Tessa’s bed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Lola said to her.

“No, you didn’t,” Mariah responded, rubbing her neck. “I think I was having a bad dream. Also, this isn’t the most comfortable way to sleep.” Mariah’s eyes traveled over Tessa’s prone body, hoping to detect some sort of change. But, there was nothing. She was still unconscious.

“How long have you been here?” Mariah asked her, looking at the clock on the wall. It was nearly 10 p.m. Tessa had been unconscious for at least seven hours.

“About an hour. Kyle had a work emergency, so I came back to keep you company.” Lola said, eyes moving to look at Tessa. “But, I also couldn’t stop thinking about her and how scared you must be.”

Mariah rubbed her eyes trying to shake off her exhaustion. “Thank you.” She said. “For being here for both of us.” Mariah had been alone in Tessa’s room all afternoon and evening. The only other people to come in were nurses or doctors checking vitals and IV fluids. It’s not that no one cared, she just didn’t call anyone. Other than Kyle and Lola, Mariah hadn’t reached out to anyone. Rey and Sharon had been lurking outside of the room for a while, but that had been hours ago.

“Rey said they have a promising lead,” Lola informed her. “He seemed pretty sure they were going to catch these guys.”

Mariah simply nodded. She wanted the people who did this to Tessa to pay, but right now she couldn’t think of anyone but the woman she loves.

“You maybe wanna go home, get something to eat and some quality sleep?” Lola asked her. “I can stay with Tessa.”

“No, no I’m not going anywhere,” Mariah said, a twinge of sadness in her voice. “I don’t want to let her out of my sight.” She reached over to place a palm on Tessa’s cheek, being careful of the cuts and scrapes marring the perfect skin. While her hand was there, she felt Tessa’s head make the slightest movement. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to have her on alert.

“Tessa?” Mariah said, taking Tessa’s hand and leaning over her. “Tessa, can you hear me?” Her head moved just slightly again and her eyelids began to flutter. Lola stood up, noticing the movement now, too.

“I’ll go get a doctor,” Lola said as she rushed out of the room. Mariah heard her, but made no attempt to acknowledge it. She was too focused on Tessa, who seemed to be slowly waking up.

“I’m here, Tessa,” Mariah said to her, taking a hand in hers. “Can you hear me?”

Tessa eyelids blinked open slowly and a pained moan came from her as she began to regain consciousness. Her eyes squeezed shut as she became more aware of the pain she was in.

“Mariah?” she said, voice quiet and timid.

“Yes, Tessa it’s me,” Mariah said, carefully stroking the other woman’s face and gently squeezing her hand. Tessa fully opened her eyes this time.

“Hi,” she choked out as she made eye contact, a tear sliding out of her eye. Mariah was crying now, too.

“Hi,” Mariah smiled through her tears. “You came back to me,” she said as she lifted Tessa’s hand to kiss the knuckles.

“Always,” Tessa said through gritted teeth. “Mariah,” she cried. “It hurts so much.”

“I know, baby,” Mariah tried to soothe her. “Lola went to get a doctor. They’ll give you something for the pain. Just focus on me, okay?”

Tessa nodded as best she could and kept her eyes on Mariah’s face. When she first opened her eyes she was confused about where she was and what she was doing there. But, it was all coming back to her now. The bank. The gunmen. Faith.

“Faith?!” she panicked, eyes pleading with Mariah for an answer.

“Faith is fine,” Mariah assured her. “You saved her.” Tessa released the breath she had been holding and started sobbing, but the movement jostled her broken ribs and sent pokers of white hot pain through her. She squeezed Mariah’s hand as the other woman tried to calm her.

“Stay with me, Tessa,” she said, gently touching her forehead as the other woman’s face clenched in pain. A nurse walked in then with Lola right behind her.

“The doctor should be in soon, but I’m going to give you some morphine now,” The nurse said as she injected the drug into Tessa’s IV. Tessa’s face scrunched against the feeling of it moving through her system before relaxing as she finally felt some relief. Her eyes blinked slowly and her body relaxed into the bed. Mariah sat back down in the chair next to the bed, keeping hold of Tessa’s hand.

Tessa took several deep breaths as the morphine kicked in and the nurse left. She looked over at Lola, who was still standing by the door. Her eyes then drifted over to Mariah, who had streaks of tears down her face. She squeezed the redhead’s hand.

“How long have I been here?” she asked, confused.

“All day,” Mariah told her, kissing her hand. “It’s 10 o’clock at night.”

“I don’t remember,” Tessa closed her eyes. “I remember being in the van, but I don’t remember anything else.” She opened her eyes, fresh tears falling.

“It’s okay,” Mariah said to her. She didn’t want the other woman getting upset. “It will come back to you. Just relax, baby.”

When the doctor arrived, Lola excused herself to give them some privacy and to call Kyle. Sitting in a chair outside of the room, she watched as a staff member entered and, after several minutes, came back out pushing Tessa in her hospital bed, followed by Mariah and the doctor.

“I’ll be right here when you get back,” Mariah said as she watched them leave. “And, thank you doctor, for everything,” she said as she turned and shook the doctor’s hand.

“Of course,” the doctor said. “She’ll be back in about an hour.” Mariah nodded as the doctor left. Turning to Lola, she smiled and walked over to where she was sitting.

“They’re going to run some more tests now that she’s awake,” she said, lower lip quivering a little. Lola looked up at her, concerned. Mariah was pale. Her eyes were swollen from crying all day and she looked so tired. Remembering the panic attack from earlier, Lola stood.

“Are you okay?” she asked Mariah. The redhead nodded, but her face told a different story. After hours and hours of being at Tessa’s bedside, she was finally awake. The worry that had been chipping away at Mariah’s resolve was easing, but with that came a rush of emotions she had been trying to keep at bay. She tried to hold back, but the tears needed to fall again.

“I just,” Mariah started, choking on a sob. “God, I almost lost her.”

Lola stepped into Mariah’s space and wrapped her in a comforting hug. “Let it out, girl,” she softly said as Mariah’s body shook with sobs. When she felt like she could no longer stand, Lola led her back to the chairs. She kept one arm around her as they sat. Mariah cried and cried. Sure, she had been crying all day, but these tears were different. They were tears of relief and they simply wouldn’t stop coming.

“I’m sorry,” Mariah finally said after several minutes. Sniffling, Lola handed her a tissue.

“Don’t apologize,” Lola said, rubbing her back. “Your girl is awake and out of the woods! You must be so relieved.”

Just because Tessa was awake didn’t mean she was out of the woods, but Mariah would take awake over unconscious any day. Still, the doctor seemed optimistic when she was in the room just now.

“When was the last time you ate something?” Lola asked her. Mariah opened her mouth to speak, but shut it when she realized she couldn’t remember eating anything today. She had been in a hurry this morning and skipped breakfast. They were going to grab lunch after the trip to the bank, but that never happened. “That’s what I thought,” Lola said. “I’m going to get you some food since I know you’re not going to leave here any time soon. And don’t argue with me. You need to eat.” Mariah had tried to protest, but gave in pretty quickly when she realized how hungry she was.

“Thank you, Lola,” she said. Lola gave her shoulder a squeeze before leaving. Mariah sat alone waiting for Tessa to be brought back up after her tests. Her mind went over all of the day’s events, from waking up next to Tessa to seeing her being dragged out of the bank at gunpoint, to her bruised and battered body lying unconscious in a hospital bed. It was all so much. Mariah wondered briefly if it was too much for her to handle, being this vulnerable because of another person. She never would have let herself fall like this before. In her old life, Mariah didn’t need anyone. But, Tessa wasn’t just anyone. Tessa was the love of her life and she had to make sure the other woman knew that.

 

 


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa gives her statement to the police, but Mariah thinks she's holding something back. This is the last chapter.

 

“That’s all I can remember,” Tessa told Rey. It had been more than 24 hours since the incident at the bank and Tessa had at least another 24 to go before she’d be released from the hospital. She was sitting up in the bed now, but her ribs were throbbing and she was feeling a little dizzy. As soon as this interview with Rey was over she was going to lie back down.

“And they never took their masks off?” The detective asked. Rey was sitting in a chair near Tessa’s hospital bed, Mariah in a matching chair on the other side. She was happy that Tessa wanted her to stay during the interview, although she had been prepared to insist on it if there had been a fight.

“No, they didn’t,” Tessa said, looking down. Mariah noticed the way her eyes averted Rey’s in that moment. There was something she was holding back, something she wasn’t saying. Mariah knew Tessa’s body language pretty well and she was even better at detecting when the other woman was hiding something.

“Call me if you remember anything else, okay?” Rey said as he closed his note pad and stood up. He had two suspects in custody, but a witness identification would be real helpful in securing a conviction. He had hoped Tessa would be that witness. “No matter how insignificant it may seem.” He put his note pad in the inside pocket of his jacket. “You were really brave. You saved everyone in that bank. You should be proud.” Nodding, Rey left the room.

Tessa let out a sigh and dropped her head back on the pillow, wincing at the pain coursing through her. Mariah, noticing her discomfort, stood up and leaned over her love.

“Hey,” she said, resting her palm on Tessa’s forehead, carefully avoiding the bandage there, before sliding it down the side of her face to cup her cheek. “Want me to put the bed back down?” Tessa only nodded and tried to lie still as Mariah pressed the button to return the bed to its reclining position. Tessa winced, hand moving to her broken ribs.

“You were really brave, you know?” Mariah told her as she sat back down in the chair and looked at Tessa lovingly. “And I am so proud of you for what you did,” Mariah took a deep breath and took Tessa’s hand. “I just don’t ever want you to do anything like that again.”

Tessa saw the unshed tears in Mariah’s eyes and squeezed her hand. “It’s over. I’m here and Faith is okay.”

“She wants to see you when you’re up for it,” Mariah told her. Tessa nodded, wincing as another rush of pain flowed through her. “Should we call the nurse to get you more pain meds?”

“Not yet,” Tessa said through partially clenched teeth. “They make me tired and I don’t really want to sleep,” Looking at Mariah’s confused expression, Tessa elaborated. “I had a nightmare.”

Mariah’s face softened and she brushed her thumb over Tessa’s knuckles. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, nothing but love in her voice. Tessa shook her head. So, Mariah tried the direct approach. “Would you like to talk about whatever it is you held back from Rey?”

Tessa looked at her, surprised. She opened her mouth to deny it, but closed it realizing it was no use. Mariah had gotten very good at reading her and she was too tired to think up a lie. At any rate, she had told herself that she was going to stop trying to protect Mariah from the truth. Doing that almost ended them.

“It’s just…a lot,” she finally said. Mariah continued to rub her thumb over Tessa’s hand to provide a source of comfort, something tangible that Tessa could use as an anchor. It made Tessa want to lock the world away so it was just her and Mariah, no one else. Especially not the man whose face she saw in her dream.

Suddenly, the flood gates opened. Tessa tried to stop it, but it was no use. The fear and terror she felt yesterday were still with her and they demanded to be heard. Releasing Mariah’s hand, Tessa brought both of her hands up to her face to cover it as she sobbed.

“Tessa,” Mariah said sadly. She leaned in closer, a hand gently stroking one of Tessa’s arms. She wanted to crawl into the bed with Tessa and hold her, but the other woman’s injuries prevented that. Instead, Mariah settled for resting her hand on Tessa’s arm and rubbing gentle, soothing circles on it with her thumb.

“I keep seeing his face,” Tessa said in between sobs. Mariah’s confusion lasted only about five seconds as she came to the realization that Tessa had in fact seen their faces, in spite of what she told Rey.

“Hey,” the redhead whispered. She gently tried to pry Tessa’s hands from her face so she could look at her. The other woman couldn’t have stopped her if she wanted to. She was too tired and weak. Tears fell down Mariah’s face when she saw the fear and pain in Tessa’s eyes. Keeping hold of one of Tessa’s hands, Mariah brought it to her lips and pressed a kiss to it.

“So you did see their faces?” Mariah asked, worry in her voice. Tessa’s face scrunched at the memory of it and she shook her head.

“Only one of them,” she replied. Tessa turned her head on the pillow to look at Mariah, who was still holding her hand and looking at her with nothing but love and genuine concern. It felt safe. Tessa had always felt that she was safe with Mariah, though she didn’t always trust that her love for the redhead wasn’t giving her a false sense of safety. Now she knew that wasn’t the case. She truly knew that she was safe with Mariah.

“Before he shoved me in the van, I yelled to you that I loved you and it pissed him off,” she said, eyes angry as she wiped at the tears that had fallen. “See I promised him that I wouldn’t cause any trouble, but I had to tell you I loved you one last time.” Mariah inhaled sharply as she absorbed what Tessa was telling her. 

“You thought they were going to kill you,” Mariah stated matter-of-factly.

Tessa nodded, her face scrunched up again as a fresh round of tears brewed. “We struggled in the van,” she said. Mariah squeezed her hand harder at that, fear gripping her throat even though she knew the ending to the story Tessa was telling. She knew the other women survived. “I thought he was going to shoot me, so I fought back. In the struggle, his mask came off. The gun went flying and landed near the back of the van. When he went to pick it up, I saw my chance to escape. So,” she glanced at Mariah as she paused. “I opened the door to jump out. I hadn’t realized we were on the highway, but I didn’t really have much of a choice, did I?”

Mariah closed her eyes tightly as she absorbed this new information. Opening them again, she saw Tessa’s pained face. Mariah could not imagine what it had been like for her in that moment. Choosing between jumping out of a van going at highway speeds or staying and facing a likely execution? It would have to have been a split second decision. No time to second guess.

“I knew that if I jumped I might die, but if I stayed I’d never see you again,” Tessa admitted. “And I wasn’t ready to leave you yet,” she choked out. Mariah, freely crying herself, stood up to lean over Tessa once again, hands framing her injured face as she bent down to press a kiss to her forehead and a second, much longer one to her lips. Tessa received the kiss, feeling everything Mariah was trying to convey _. I’m sorry you went through that. I’m so happy you’re alive. You’re safe now._

Pulling back from the kiss, Mariah didn’t bother wiping her eyes. Instead, she kept Tessa’s face in her hands and wiped at her tears. “I love you,” Mariah told her. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you for being strong enough to make that decision.”

“I’m not strong, Mariah,” Tessa cried. “I’m scared.”

“They caught them, Tessa,” Mariah reminded her. “Rey said they were found with the money and that the case against them is strong. You don’t have to be scared of them anymore.”

“The case would be even stronger if I just told the truth,” Tessa admitted, sadly. Mariah released her face as she gently sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

“It would, yes.” Tessa looked up at her, worry on her face. “Tessa,” Mariah continued. “I completely understand why you didn’t say anything to Rey, but it’s not too late to call him and revise your statement. I know you’re scared, but I’ll be with you the entire time. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Okay,” Tessa said. “Can I do it tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Mariah didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Hopeful eyes looked at the redhead. “I know you’ve been here since yesterday and probably want to go home and sleep in an actual bed, but…” Tessa trailed off as Mariah interrupted her.

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” Mariah said. “Not until you do.” She lifted Tessa’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “How about we get you some more pain meds and try to get some sleep, huh?” Seeing the nervous look on Tessa’s face, Mariah continued. “I will be here to chase away any nightmares. I promise I’m not leaving.”

Tessa nodded at that and pushed the call button to alert the nurse. Once she received her dose of morphine, Tessa felt herself sink deeper into the bed and she closed her eyes. Mariah watched her face change from worried and pained to peaceful and calm. She knew tomorrow was going to bring a whole new set of challenges and she hoped Tessa wouldn’t change her mind about telling Rey the truth. As Mariah moved to try to get comfortable and ready for another night spent in a chair, she felt Tessa pull at their still joined hands.

“I’m not leaving,” Mariah reminded her.

“Sleep here with me,” Tessa sleepily said, releasing Mariah’s hand and patting the small space next to her on the bed. Mariah opened her mouth to protest, but Tessa interrupted her. “Please?”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” the redhead told her. Tessa shook her head gently.

“The broken ribs are on the other side and I know I will sleep better if you’re next to me,” Tessa reasoned. Reluctantly, Mariah agreed. She carefully climbed into the bed, lying on her side. It was a tight fit, but it felt oddly comforting to be that close. Leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Tessa’s head, Mariah took her hand and quietly stared at the other woman. She’d been doing a lot of that for the past 24 hours. Tessa, now nearly asleep, looked so peaceful. In spite of the bruises, cuts, and bandages she looked absolutely beautiful and Mariah found herself having to remember to breathe. She couldn’t really pinpoint when she had fallen in love with this woman, but she was grateful. Mariah was even grateful for the awful times because she knows they’re now stronger than ever before. This was a particularly awful time, she thought to herself, but they were getting through it together.

Mariah had to fight the urge to wrap an arm around Tessa’s torso and pull her even closer. She would have to be extra cautious with her until the ribs healed. Instead, she held onto Tessa’s hand as she felt exhaustion take over and her eye lids flutter closed. Mariah knew she was going to need her strength to help Tessa through this, and Tessa will get through this. This incident is just the latest in a long list of traumatic events in the young woman’s life. But, all of those things happened before she had Mariah, who was determined to be her rock and her safe place. As sleep found the redhead, she felt a renewed sense of love and hope. Yes, terrible things sometimes happen, but it’s how you come together afterwards that speaks to the true nature of things. Mariah and Tessa have faced many trials, but they were together and that’s all that mattered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming along for the ride. Because I've been battling writers' block, I'm not as proud of this fic as I am the others. I needed to end it here, but will consider a sequel down the line if inspiration strikes.


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